About Matthew

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Messiah and King of Israel, demonstrating through His teachings and miracles that He fulfills Old Testament prophecies.

Author: Matthew (Levi)Written: c. AD 50-70Reading time: ~6 minVerses: 51
Kingdom of HeavenJesus as MessiahFulfillment of ProphecyDiscipleshipChurch

King James Version

Matthew 24

51 verses with commentary

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple</strong> (ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ)—Jesus's final departure from the temple marks a theological watershed. His leaving (ἐξέρχομαι, <em>exerchomai</em>) signals divine abandonment, echoing how God's glory departed from Solomon's temple (Ezekiel 10). When the disciples point to <strong>the buildings of the temple</strong> (τὰς οἰκοδομὰς τοῦ ἱεροῦ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

XXIV. (1) **And Jesus went out.**—Better, following the best MSS., *Jesus departed from the Temple, and was going on His way, when His disciples.* St. Mark and St. Luke report the touching incident of the widow’s mite as connected with our Lord’s departure. **His disciples** **came** **to him.**—We may well think of their action as following on the words they had just heard. Was that house, with a...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, &amp;c.--**Taking advantage of the helpless condition and confiding character of "widows," they contrived to obtain possession of their property, while by their "long prayers" they made them believe they were raised far above "filthy lucre." So much "the greater damnation" awaits them. What a lifelike description ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 24 Chapter Outline Christ foretells the destruction of the temple.(1-3) The troubles before the destruction of Jerusalem.(4-28) Christ foretells other signs and miseries, to the end of the world.(29-41) Exhortations to watchfulness.(42-51) **Verses 1-3** Christ foretells the utter ruin and destruction coming upon the temple. A believing foresight of the defacing o...
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And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down</strong> (οὐ μὴ ἀφεθῇ ὧδε λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον)—The emphatic double negative (οὐ μή) makes this prophecy absolute and unavoidable. Jesus predicts total destruction, fulfilled precisely when Titus's Roman legions sacked Jerusalem in AD 70. Josephus records that soldiers pried apart stones to extract gold that had ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **There shall not be left here one stone upon another.**—So Josephus relates that Titus ordered the whole city and the Temple to be dug up, leaving only two or three of the chief towers, so that those who visited it could hardly believe that it had ever been inhabited (*Wars, vii.* 1). The remains which recent explorations have disinterred belong, all of them, to the substructures of the Templ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**15. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte--**from heathenism. We have evidence of this in Josephus. **and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves--**condemned, for the hypocrisy he would learn to practice, both by the religion he left and that he embraced.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 24 Chapter Outline Christ foretells the destruction of the temple.(1-3) The troubles before the destruction of Jerusalem.(4-28) Christ foretells other signs and miseries, to the end of the world.(29-41) Exhortations to watchfulness.(42-51) **Verses 1-3** Christ foretells the utter ruin and destruction coming upon the temple. A believing foresight of the defacing o...
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Signs of the End of the Age

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately , saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

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KJV Study Commentary

The disciples' question 'what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?' follows Jesus' prophecy of the temple's destruction (vv. 1-2). They conflated three events: temple destruction (70 AD), Christ's second coming (future), and the age's consummation. Jesus' discourse addresses all three, requiring careful interpretation to distinguish near fulfillment (temple destruction) fr...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **The disciples came unto him privately.**—From St. Mark we learn their names—“Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew;” *i.e.,* the four in the first of the three groups that made up the Twelve. The position of Andrew as the last is noticeable, as connected with the general pre-eminence of the first three. **The sign of thy coming.**—Literally, *of Thy presence.* The passage is memorable as th...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**16. Woe unto you, ye blind guides--**Striking expression this of the ruinous effects of erroneous teaching. Our Lord, here and in some following verses, condemns the subtle distinctions they made as to the sanctity of oaths--distinctions invented only to promote their own avaricious purposes. **which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing--**He has incurred no debt. **but wh...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 24 Chapter Outline Christ foretells the destruction of the temple.(1-3) The troubles before the destruction of Jerusalem.(4-28) Christ foretells other signs and miseries, to the end of the world.(29-41) Exhortations to watchfulness.(42-51) **Verses 1-3** Christ foretells the utter ruin and destruction coming upon the temple. A believing foresight of the defacing o...
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And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Take heed that no man deceive you</strong> (βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ)—Jesus's first warning in the Olivet Discourse addresses deception (πλανάω, <em>planaō</em>—to lead astray, the root of our word "planet" for wandering stars). The imperative <em>blepete</em> (take heed, watch) demands vigilant discernment. Deception, not destruction, is presented as the primary danger for disciples na...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **Jesus answered and said unto them . . .**—The great discourse which follows is given with substantial agreement by St. Mark and St. Luke, the variations being such as were naturally incident to reports made from memory, and probably after an interval of many years. In all probability, the written record came, in the first instance, from the lips of St. Peter, and it will accordingly be instr...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ</strong> (πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου λέγοντες, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Χριστός)—The deception is two-fold: false messiahs come both (1) <em>in Jesus's name</em> (claiming his authority) and (2) <em>claiming to be Christ</em> themselves. The emphatic <em>egō eimi</em> ("I am") echoes Jesus's own divine self-designation. The word Χριστός (...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ.**—Better, *the Christ.* No direct fulfilments of this prediction are recorded, either in the New Testament, or by Josephus, or other historians. Bar-Cochba (the “son of the star”), who claimed to be the “Star” of the prophecy of Balaam (Numbers 24:17), is often named as a fulfilment; but he did not appear till A.D. 120—nearly 50 years *after* ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus' warning 'ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet' addresses the temptation to interpret every crisis as the end. Wars and conflicts, while increasing, don't necessarily signal the immediate end. 'Must come to pass' indicates God's sovereign plan includes human conflict. 'The end is not yet' cautio...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **Ye shall hear** **. . .**—Literally, *ye shall be about to hear*—a kind of double future, or possibly an example of the transition between the older future tense and the use of an auxiliary verb. **Wars and rumours.**—St. Luke adds “commotions.” The forty years that intervened before the destruction of Jerusalem were full of these in all directions; but we may probably think of the words *as...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**19. Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?--**(See Ex 29:37).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

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KJV Study Commentary

Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **Nation shall rise against nation.**—Some of the more memorable of these are recorded by Josephus: one at Seleucia, in which 50,000 Jews are said to have perished (*Ant.* xviii. 9, §§ 8, 9); others at Cæsarea, Scythopolis, Joppa, Ascalon, and Tyre (*Wars* 2:18); and the memorable conflict between Jews and Greeks at Alexandria, under Caligula, A.D. 38, of which we learn from Philo. The whole p...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**20-22. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, &amp;c.--**See on Mt 5:33-37.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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All these are the beginning of sorrows.

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KJV Study Commentary

Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **The beginning of sorrows.**—The words mean strictly, *the beginning of travail pangs.* The troubles through which the world passes are thought of as issuing in a “new birth”—the “regeneration” of Matthew 19:28. So St. Paul speaks of the whole creation as “travailing in pain together” (Romans 8:22). So a time of national suffering and perplexity is one in which “the children are come to the b...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**20-22. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, &amp;c.--**See on Mt 5:33-37.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted</strong> (τότε παραδώσουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς θλῖψιν)—The verb παραδίδωμι (<em>paradidōmi</em>) means "hand over, betray"—the same word used for Judas betraying Jesus. The noun θλῖψις (<em>thlipsis</em>) denotes tribulation, pressure, crushing distress—like grapes in a winepress. <strong>And shall kill you</strong> (καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν ὑμᾶς) shifts from p...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **Then shall they deliver** **. . .**—The adverb, here and in Matthew 24:10, points to synchronism rather than sequence in its connection with Matthew 24:8. **To be afflicted.**—Literally, *unto affliction.* The words repeat in substance the predictions of Matthew 10:22. (See Notes there.) Here we have “hated of all the nations,” *i.e.,* heathen nations, instead of the wider “hated of all men....
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**20-22. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, &amp;c.--**See on Mt 5:33-37.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And then shall many be offended</strong> (καὶ τότε σκανδαλισθήσονται πολλοί)—The verb σκανδαλίζω (<em>skandalizō</em>) means to cause to stumble or fall away—the source of our word "scandal." In persecution's crucible, <em>many</em> (πολλοί) will apostatize, proving their faith was superficial (see the Parable of the Sower: seed among thorns, Matthew 13:20-21). This isn't backsliding but w...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **Shall many be offended.**—The words point primarily to those who were believers in Christ, and found, a stumbling-block either in the new aspects of truth from time to time presented, or in the slowness of its victory, or in the delayed coming of the Lord. (Comp. 2Peter 3:4.) **Shall hate one another.**—The words received a terrible fulfilment in the faction-fights of the Zealots and Sicari...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise--**rather, "dill," as in Margin. **and cummin--**In Luke (Lu 11:42) it is "and rue, and all manner of herbs." They grounded this practice on Le 27:30, which they interpreted rigidly. Our Lord purposely names the most trifling products of the earth as examples of what they punctiliously exacted the tenth of....
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many</strong> (καὶ πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐγερθήσονται καὶ πλανήσουσιν πολλούς)—After false messiahs (v. 5), Jesus warns of ψευδοπροφῆται (<em>pseudoprophētai</em>)—literally "lying prophets." The verb ἐγείρω (<em>egeirō</em>, "rise up") suggests they emerge from within the community, not invade from outside. The repetition of "many... ma...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **Many false prophets shall rise.**—The later writings of the New Testament bear repeated testimony to this feature of the ten years that preceded the destruction of Jerusalem. St. John speaks of false prophets (1John 4:1), and many antichrists (1John 2:18); St. Peter of “false teachers” (2Peter 2:1), like the false prophets of old; St. Paul of men who should give heed to seducing spirits (1T...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**24. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat--**The proper rendering--as in the older English translations, and perhaps our own as it came from the translators' hands--evidently is, "strain out." It was the custom, says Trench, of the stricter Jews to strain their wine, vinegar, and other potables through linen or gauze, lest unawares they should drink down some little unclean insect therein and ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

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KJV Study Commentary

Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **Because iniquity shall abound** **. . .**—Better, *lawlessness.* No word could more fitly represent the condition of Judæa in the time just referred to: brigandage, massacres, extortion, assassination, came to be common things. **The love of many** **. . .**—Better, *of the many*; the greater part of the true Israel who would be found in the Church of Christ; perhaps, also, the greater part...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**25. within they are full of extortion--**In Luke (Lu 11:39) the same word is rendered "ravening," that is, "rapacity."

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus' promise 'he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved' connects perseverance with salvation. This doesn't mean salvation by works but that genuine faith perseveres through trials. 'Endure unto the end' means maintaining faith despite persecution, deception, and falling away (vv. 9-12). True believers don't lose salvation but prove it through endurance. Perseverance is evidence...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **He that shall endure unto the end** **. . .**—The words have at once a higher and lower sense. Endurance to the end of life is in every case the condition of salvation, in the full meaning of the word. But the context rather leads us to see in the “end” the close of the period of which our Lord speaks, *i.e.,* the destruction of Jerusalem; and so the words “shall be saved” at least include ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**26. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also--**In Luke (Lu 11:40) it is, "Ye fools, did not He that made that which is without make that which is within also?"--"He to whom belongs the outer life, and of right demands its subjection to Himself, is the inner man less His?" A remarkable example this of our Lord's power...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus' prophecy 'this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come' establishes worldwide evangelism before the end. 'Gospel of the kingdom' is the good news that Jesus is King and Savior. 'Preached in all the world' requires global missions—every nation must hear. 'For a witness' means testimony, not necessarily conversion. '...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **Shall be preached in all the world.**—The words must not be strained beyond the meaning which they would have for those who heard them, and they were certain to see in “all the world” (literally, *the inhabited earth,* as in Luke 2:1; Acts 11:28) neither more nor less than the Roman empire; and it was true, as a matter of fact, that there was hardly a province of the empire in which the fai...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**27. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like whited sepulchres--**or, whitewashed sepulchres. (Compare Ac 23:3). The process of whitewashing the sepulchres, as Lightfoot says, was performed on a certain day every year, not for ceremonial cleansing, but, as the following words seem rather to imply, to beautify them. **which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

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KJV Study Commentary

This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **The abomination of desolation.**—The words, as they stand in Daniel 12:11, seem to refer to the desecration of the sanctuary by the mad attempt of Antiochus Epiphanes to stop the “daily sacrifice,” and to substitute an idolatrous worship in its place (2 Maccabees 6:1-9). What analogous desecration our Lord’s words point to, is a question that has received very different answers. We may at o...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains</strong> (τότε οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ φευγέτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὄρη)—The adverb τότε ("then") connects to v. 15's "abomination of desolation," signaling the moment for immediate evacuation. The imperative φεύγω (<em>pheugō</em>, "flee") demands urgent escape, like Lot fleeing Sodom (Genesis 19:17). Judaea specifically refers to the region around J...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **Then let them which be in Judsea.**—The words were acted on when the time came. Eusebius (*Hist. Eccl.* iii. 5) records that the Christians of Judæa, acting “on a certain oracle,” fled, in A.D. 68, to Pella, a town on the northern boundary of Peræa. So Josephus (*Wars,* iv. 9, § 1; v. 10, § 1) more generally relates that many of the more conspicuous citizens fled from the city, as men aband...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house</strong> (ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος μὴ καταβάτω ἆραι τὰ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ)—Palestinian houses had flat roofs (δῶμα, <em>dōma</em>) accessed by external stairs, often used for prayer, sleeping, or storage. Jesus commands: don't even descend into your house. The urgency mirrors Lot's wife, who looked back and became ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(17) **Let him which is on the housetop.**—The houses in the streets of Jerusalem were built in a continuous line, and with flat roofs, so that a man might pass from house to house without descending into the street until he came to some point near the wall or gate of the city, and so make his escape. At a moment of danger (in this case that arising from the factions within the city, rather than t...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes</strong> (καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ μὴ ἐπιστρεψάτω ὀπίσω ἆραι τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ)—Agricultural workers wore minimal clothing in the field, leaving outer garments (ἱμάτια, <em>himatia</em>)—valuable items—at field's edge or home. The verb ἐπιστρέφω (<em>epistrephō</em>, "turn back") with prohibitive μή forbids retrieval. Even clothin...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(18) **To take his clothes.**—Better, in the singular, *his cloak.* The man would be working in the field with the short tunic of the labouring peasant, leaving the flowing outer garment at home in the city. Here also the flight was to be rapid and immediate.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days</strong> (οὐαὶ δὲ ταῖς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσαις καὶ ταῖς θηλαζούσαις ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις)—The interjection οὐαί (<em>ouai</em>, "woe") expresses grief and lament, not condemnation. Jesus sympathizes with the unique vulnerability of pregnant women (ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσαις, literally "having in the womb") and nursing m...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(19) **Woe unto them.**—Better, *alas for them,* or *woe for them.* The tone is that of pity rather than denunciation. The hardships of a hurried flight would press most heavily on those who were encumbered with infant children, or were expecting childbirth. The same tenderness of sympathy shows itself in the words spoken to the daughters of Jerusalem in Luke 23:28-29. Perhaps the words point to t...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day</strong> (προσεύχεσθε δὲ ἵνα μὴ γένηται ἡ φυγὴ ὑμῶν χειμῶνος μηδὲ σαββάτῳ)—The imperative προσεύχομαι (<em>proseuchomai</em>, "pray") commands petition regarding circumstances of escape. Winter (χειμών, <em>cheimōn</em>) brings cold, rain, and swollen rivers, making mountain travel treacherous. The sabbath (σάββα...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **Pray ye that your flight** **. . .**—Rules were given for flight where the conditions lay within their own power. Other incidents which lay outside their will might lawfully be the subjects of their prayers. It is characteristic of St. Matthew, as writing for Jews, that he alone records the words “nor on the Sabbath day.” Living as the Christians of Judæa did in the strict observance of the...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**33. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?--**In thus, at the end of His ministry, recalling the words of the Baptist at the outset of his, our Lord would seem to intimate that the only difference between their condemnation now and then was, that now they were ripe for their doom, which they were not then.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be</strong> (ἔσται γὰρ τότε θλῖψις μεγάλη οἵα οὐ γέγονεν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς κόσμου ἕως τοῦ νῦν οὐδ' οὐ μὴ γένηται)—The phrase θλῖψις μεγάλη (<em>thlipsis megalē</em>, "great tribulation") is emphatic. The comparative οἵα ("such as") introduces unparalleled severity. The temporal ma...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **Such as was not since the beginning . . .**—The words come from Daniel 12:1. One who reads the narrative of Josephus will hardly hesitate to adopt his language, “that all miseries that had been known from the beginning of the world fell short” of those of the siege of the Holy City (*Wars,* v. 13, §§ 4, 5). Other sieges may have witnessed, before and since, scenes of physical wretchedness e...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**34. Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes--**The I here is emphatic: "I am sending," that is, "am about to send." In Lu 11:49 the variation is remarkable: "Therefore also, said the wisdom of God, I will send them," &amp;c. What precisely is meant by "the wisdom of God" here, is somewhat difficult to determine. To us it appears to be simply an announcement of a pu...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

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KJV Study Commentary

Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(22) **Should no flesh be saved.**—The words are of course limited by the context to the scene of the events to which the prophecy refers. The warfare with foes outside the city, and the faction-fights and massacres within, would have caused an utter depopulation of the whole country. **For the elect’s sake.**—Those who, as believers in Jesus, were the “remnant” of the visible Israel, and therefor...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not</strong> (τότε ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ, Ἰδοὺ ὧδε ὁ Χριστός, ἤ, Ὧδε, μὴ πιστεύσητε)—The adverb τότε ("then") connects to the tribulation period. The interjection ἰδού (<em>idou</em>, "behold, lo") suggests urgency and attention-getting. False messiahs will claim <em>location</em>: "here" (ὧδε). The imperative μὴ πιστ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(23) **Lo, here is Christ, or there.**—Better, *Lo, here is the Christ.* The narrative of Josephus, while speaking of many *“*deceivers” claiming divine authority (*Wars, ii.* 13, § 4), is silent as to any pretenders to the character of the Messiah. It is scarcely conceivable, however, that this should not have been one of the results of the fevered dreams of the people, and the reticence of the h...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**36. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation--**As it was only in the last generation of them that "the iniquity of the Amorites was full" (Ge 15:16), and then the abominations of ages were at once completely and awfully avenged, so the iniquity of Israel was allowed to accumulate from age to age till in that generation it came to the full, and the whole collected ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders</strong> (ἐγερθήσονται γὰρ ψευδόχριστοι καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται καὶ δώσουσιν σημεῖα μεγάλα καὶ τέρατα)—The compound ψευδόχριστοι (<em>pseudochristoi</em>, "false Christs") and ψευδοπροφῆται ("false prophets") appear together. Critically, they perform σημεῖα μεγάλα καὶ τέρατα ("great signs and wonders"...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(24) **Shall shew great signs and wonders.**—Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-11) and Elymas (Acts 13:6) may be taken as representative instances of these false claimants to supernatural powers. So “signs and lying wonders” are the notes of the coming of the Wicked One, in whom the mystery of iniquity shall receive its full development (2Thessalonians 2:9). But for the warning thus given, even the “elect”—*i...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, &amp;c.--**How ineffably grand and melting is this apostrophe! It is the very heart of God pouring itself forth through human flesh and speech. It is this incarnation of the innermost life and love of Deity, pleading with men, bleeding for them, and ascending only to open His arms to them and w...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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Behold, I have told you before.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Behold, I have told you before</strong> (ἰδοὺ προείρηκα ὑμῖν)—The interjection ἰδού (<em>idou</em>) demands attention: "Pay attention!" The verb προλέγω (<em>prolegō</em>, "tell beforehand") in perfect tense (προείρηκα) indicates completed action with continuing results: Jesus has spoken, and his warning remains valid. This solemn conclusion to the deception warnings removes all excuse.<br...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**38. Behold, your house--**the temple, beyond all doubt; but their house now, not the Lord's. See on Mt 22:7. **is left unto you desolate--**deserted, that is, of its Divine Inhabitant. But who is that? Hear the next words:

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

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KJV Study Commentary

This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(26) **In the secret chambers.**—The word is the same as that translated “closet” in Matthew 6:6. What is meant is that the pretenders will in some way or other shun the publicity which would test their claims. There would be whispered rumours that the Christ was concealing Himself in the wilderness beyond the Jordan, or in the inner recesses of some zealot’s house, and would at the last moment ap...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**39. For I say unto you--**and these were His last words to the impenitent nation, see on Mr 13:1, opening remarks. **Ye shall not see me henceforth--**What? Does Jesus mean that He was Himself the Lord of the temple, and that it became "deserted" when He finally left it? It is even so. Now is thy fate sealed, O Jerusalem, for the glory is departed from thee! That glory, once visible in the hol...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west</strong>—The Greek <em>astrapē</em> (ἀστραπή) means sudden flash, visible to all. Jesus contrasts the <em>parousia</em> (παρουσία, presence/coming) of the Son of Man with false messiahs hiding in deserts or inner rooms (v.26). His return will be unmistakable, universal, instantaneous—not a secret event requiring in...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(27) **As the lightning cometh out of the east.**—In this and the three preceding verses we are, as it were, on the dim border-land of the primary and the ultimate fulfilments of the words. The disciples in their questions (Matthew 24:3) had connected the destruction of Jerusalem with the “coming” of their Lord, and the two are connected even in His own words and thoughts. In whatever way He came,...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 24 Mt 24:1-51. Christ's Prophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Warnings Suggested by It to Prepare for His Second Coming. ( = Mr 13:1-37; Lu 21:5-36). For the exposition, see on Mr 13:1-37.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

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KJV Study Commentary

Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(28) **Wheresoever the carcase is.**—Two interpretations of this verse may, without much risk of error, be at once rejected:—(1) That which sees in the “eagles” the well-known symbols of the strength of the Roman legions, and in the “carcass” the decayed and corrupted Judaism which those legions came to destroy. This, true as far as it goes, is too narrow and localised in its range for so wide and...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 4-28** The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom i...
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The Coming of the Son of Man

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened</strong>—This cosmic upheaval language (<em>thlipsis</em>, θλῖψις = tribulation/pressure) draws directly from Isaiah 13:10, 34:4, Joel 2:10, 31, and echoes throughout Jewish apocalyptic. The sun (<em>hēlios</em>, ἥλιος), moon (<em>selēnē</em>, σελήνη), and stars (<em>asteres</em>, ἀστέρες) represent created authoriti...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(29) **Immediately after the tribulation of those days.**—From this point onwards the prophecy takes a wider range, and passes beyond the narrow limits of the destruction of Jerusalem to the final coming of the Son of Man, and the one is represented as following “immediately” on the other. No other meaning could have been found in the words when they were first heard or read. The “days” of this ve...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

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KJV Study Commentary

The cosmic sign 'then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory' describes Christ's visible, glorious return. 'Sign of the Son of man' (possibly the cross or Shekinah glory) announces His coming. 'All tribes... mourn' indicates universal recognition...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(30) **Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man.**—Can we picture to ourselves what this sign shall be? Is it distinct from the coming of the Son of Man which here is so closely united with it? Men have given wildly conjectural answers to these questions, and have dreamt of the cross as appearing in the sky (as if the vision of Constantine were to be reproduced in the last days), or the lightn...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other . with: or, with a trumpet, and a great voice

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KJV Study Commentary

Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(31) **He shall send his angels.**—The words are memorable as the formal expansion of what had been, as it were, hinted before in the parables of the Tares (Matthew 13:41) and the Net (Matthew 13:49). **With a great sound of a trumpet.**—The better MSS. omit “sound:” *With a great trumpet.* We know not, and cannot know, what reality will answer to this symbol, but it is interesting to note how dee...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Now learn a parable of the fig tree</strong>—The Greek <em>parabole</em> (παραβολή) means comparison, and Jesus shifts from apocalyptic vision to agricultural observation. <strong>When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves</strong> (<em>hapalos</em>, ἁπαλός = tender/soft), you recognize the pattern of seasons. The fig tree (<em>sykē</em>, συκῆ) was a common Palestinian symbol,...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(32) **Now learn a parable of the fig tree.**—As in so many other instances (comp. Notes on John 8:12; John 10:1), we may think of the words as illustrated by a living example. Both time and place make this probable. It was on the Mount of Olives, where then, as now, fig trees were found as well as olives (Matthew 21:19), and the season was that of early spring, when “the flowers appear on the ear...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. it: or, he

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors</strong>—The Greek <em>eggys</em> (ἐγγύς) means near/at hand, and <em>epi thyrais</em> (ἐπὶ θύραις) pictures someone at the door, about to knock. Jesus promises recognizable proximity, not precise chronology. 'All these things' (<em>panta tauta</em>, πάντα ταῦτα) references the signs just described—false messiahs, ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(33) **So likewise ye.**—The pronoun is emphatic. Ye whom I have chosen, who are therefore among the elect that shall be thus gathered. The words are spoken to the four Apostles as the representatives of the whole body of believers who should be living—first, at the destruction of Jerusalem, and afterwards at the end of the world. Of the four, St. John alone, so far as we know, survived the destru...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

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KJV Study Commentary

Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(34) **This generation shall not** **pass . . .**—The natural meaning of the words is, beyond question. that which takes “generation” in the ordinary sense (as in Matthew 1:17, Acts 13:36, and elsewhere) for those who are living at any given period. So it was on “this generation” (Matthew 23:36) that the accumulated judgments were to fall. The desire to bring the words into more apparent harmony w...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus declares ultimate permanence: 'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away' (Greek: ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσιν, 'heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away'). The double negative οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσιν intensifies certainty. Creation itself is temporal, but Jesus' words are eternal. This astounding claim asserts ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(35) **Heaven and earth.**—The tone is that of One who speaks with supreme authority, foreseeing, on the one hand, death and seeming failure, but on the other, the ultimate victory, not of truth only in the abstract, but of His own word as the truth. The parallelism of the words with those of Psalm 102:26, Isaiah 40:8, gives them their full significance. The Son of Man claims for His own words the...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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No One Knows That Day or Hour

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only</strong>—After teaching the recognizability of His coming, Jesus forbids chronological calculation. The emphatic <em>oudeis</em> (οὐδείς = no one) excludes <em>everyone</em>—no human, no angel, not even the Son (Mark 13:32). This self-limitation during His incarnation demonstrates the reality of His h...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(36) **No, not the angels of heaven.**—St. Mark’s addition (Mark 13:32), “neither the Son”—or better, *not even the Son*—is every way remarkable. Assuming, what is well-nigh certain (see *Introduction to St. Mark*)*,* the close connection of that Gospel with St. Peter, it is as if the Apostle who heard the discourse desired, for some special reason, to place on record the *ipsissima verba* of his ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be</strong>—Jesus draws a typological parallel between Noah's generation and the end-times. The Greek construction emphasizes exact correspondence: 'just as...so also.' The comparison isn't about wickedness levels but about unpreparedness and suddenness. Noah (<em>Nōe</em>, Νῶε) preached for 120 years while building th...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(37) **As the days of Noe were.**—Here again we note an interesting coincidence with the Epistles of St. Peter, both of which teem, more than any other portions of the New Testament, with references to the history to which the mind of the writer had been directed by his Master’s teaching, 1Peter 3:20; 2Peter 2:5; 2Peter 3:6. This is, perhaps, all the more noticeable from the fact that the report o...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage</strong>—Jesus doesn't condemn normal activities but absorption in them to the exclusion of spiritual reality. The Greek imperfect tense (<em>ēsan</em>, ἦσαν = they were) pictures continuous action—eating (<em>trōgō</em>, τρώγω), drinking (<em>pinō</em>, πίνω), marrying (<em>gameō</...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And knew not until the flood came</strong>—The Greek <em>ouk egnōsan</em> (οὐκ ἔγνωσαν = they did not know/perceive) indicates willful ignorance, not lack of information. They had 120 years of warning, visual evidence of the ark, and Noah's preaching (2 Peter 2:5), yet <em>chose</em> not to know. <strong>And took them all away</strong> (<em>kai ēren hapantas</em>, καὶ ἦρεν ἅπαντας)—the flo...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(39) **So shall also the coming of the Son of man be.**—The words justify the interpretation given above of Matthew 24:29-30. If the “signs” of the Advent were to be phenomena visible to the eye of sense, there could not be this reckless apathy of nescience. If they are to be tokens, “signs of the times,” which can be discerned only by the illumined insight of the faithful, the hardened unbelief o...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left</strong>—This famous verse is widely misinterpreted as describing a 'rapture' of believers, but context demands the opposite. The Greek <em>paralambanō</em> (παραλαμβάνω = taken) and <em>aphiēmi</em> (ἀφίημι = left/released) parallel the flood narrative: who was <em>taken</em>? The wicked in judgment. Who was <em>le...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(40) **The one shall be taken.**—Literally, the present tense being used to express the certainty of the future, *one is taken, and one is left.* The form of the expression is somewhat obscure, and leaves it uncertain which of the two alternatives is the portion of the chosen ones. Is the man who is “taken” received into fellowship with Christ, while the other is abandoned? or is he carried away a...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Two women shall be grinding at the mill</strong>—The Greek <em>alēthō</em> (ἀλήθω) describes hand-mill grain grinding, daily women's work in first-century households. <strong>The one shall be taken, and the other left</strong>—identical language to verse 40, reinforcing the pattern. Two women, same work, same location, radically different eternal destinies. External similarity conceals int...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(41) **Two women shall be grinding at the mill.**—The words bring before us the picture of the lowest form of female labour, in which one woman holds the lower stone of the small hand-mill of the East, while another turns the upper stone and grinds the corn. In Judges 16:21, and Lamentations 5:13, the employment appears as the crowning degradation of male captives taken in battle. It is probable t...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 29-41** Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign ...
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Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus' command 'Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come' emphasizes vigilance due to uncertainty. 'Watch' means spiritual alertness, moral preparedness, and faithful service. The uncertainty 'ye know not what hour' prevents complacency—we must live ready for Christ's return at any moment. This isn't anxious fear but joyful anticipation motivating holy living. Date-setting is...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

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KJV Study Commentary

Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(43) **But know this.**—The verses from Matthew 24:42 to Matthew 24:51 have nothing corresponding to them in the reports of the discourse given by St. Mark and St. Luke, but are found almost verbatim in another discourse reported by St. Luke 12:42, *et seq.* Here, as elsewhere, we have to choose between the assumption of a repetition of the same words, or of a transfer of what was spoken on one oc...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

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KJV Study Commentary

Jesus' warning 'Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh' reiterates the need for constant readiness. 'Be ready' means living in a state of spiritual preparedness—right relationship with God, faithful service, holy living. 'In such an hour as ye think not' warns against assuming delay or predicting timing. Christ comes unexpectedly, catching the unprepa...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(44) **In such an hour as ye think not.**—The words are important as showing that even the signs which were to be as the budding of the fig-tree at the approach of summer were intended only to rouse the faithful to watchfulness, not to enable men to fix the times and the seasons which the Father hath set in His own power. The apparent destiny of failure which has attended on all attempts to go bey...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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The Faithful and Wicked Servants

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Who then is a faithful and wise servant</strong>—Jesus shifts from warning to exhortation, using <em>pistos</em> (πιστός = faithful/trustworthy) and <em>phronimos</em> (φρόνιμος = wise/prudent), two essential stewardship qualities. The rhetorical question expects self-examination: 'Are you this servant?' <strong>Whom his lord hath made ruler over his household</strong> (<em>oiketeia</em>, ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(45) **Who then is a faithful . . .?**—Better, *Who then is the faithful and wise servant?* The latter word in the Greek is that which ethical writers had used to express the moral wisdom which adapts means to ends, as contrasted with the wisdom of pure contemplation on the one hand, or technical skill on the other. **To give them meat in due season.**—Better, *to give them their food.* In the par...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing</strong>—The Greek <em>makarios</em> (μακάριος) means supremely blessed, happy, fortunate. This blessing depends entirely on being found <em>poiōn</em> (ποιῶν = doing/practicing) at the moment of the master's return. Not merely having done in the past, but actively engaged in faithful service when Christ appears.<br>...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(46) **Blessed is that servant.**—The words, taken in their letter, seem to refer only to those who shall thus be found at the time of the final Advent. Christian insight has, however, rightly given them a wider application. As there are “days of the Lord” in the history of churches and nations, so the Lord comes to men in the crises of their individual lives; and one such coming is that day of de...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods</strong>—The emphatic <em>amēn legō hymin</em> (ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν = truly I say to you) introduces a solemn promise of reward. The faithful steward receives promotion: from managing the household to ruling over <em>panta ta hyparchonta autou</em> (πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ = all his possessions).<br><br>This pictures the es...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(47) **He shall make him ruler.**—The words are noteworthy as among the indications that the work of the faithful servant does not cease, either after his own removal from his earthly labour, or even after the final consummation of the kingdom. Over and above the joy of the beatific vision, or what is figured to us as the peace of Paradise, there will still be a work to be done, analogous to that ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming</strong>—The Greek <em>chronizei</em> (χρονίζει = delays/takes time) reveals the servant's fatal assumption: the master's absence means abandonment or indifference. This isn't mere calendar observation but heart rebellion—<em>en tē kardia autou</em> (ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ = in his heart) he concludes delay equals...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(48) **But and if that evil servant.**—Better, *but if that evil servant,* the “and” being in modern English usage superfluous, and representing originally a different conjunction. **My lord delayeth his coming.**—The temper described is identical with that portrayed in 2Peter 3:3-4. The words are memorable as implying the prescience, even in the immediate context of words that indicate nearness, ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And shall begin to smite his fellowservants</strong>—The evil servant's rebellion manifests in abusing authority: <em>typtō</em> (τύπτω = strike/beat) the <em>syndoulous</em> (συνδούλους = fellow-servants). The horizontal relationship reveals the vertical reality—abusing God's people proves false profession. <strong>And to eat and drink with the drunken</strong> (<em>esthiō kai pinō meta t...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The Unprepared Servant and Christ's Return</strong><br><br>This verse forms the climax of Jesus's parable about the faithful and evil servant, emphasizing the certainty and unexpectedness of His return. The Greek phrase <em>hēxei ho kyrios</em> (ἥξει ὁ κύριος, "the lord will come") uses the future indicative, stressing absolute certainty—not "might come" but "will come." The timing is desc...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. cut: or, cut him off

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And shall cut him asunder</strong> (καὶ διχοτομήσει αὐτ�ν)—The verb διχοτομέω (dichotomeō, 'to cut in two, to cut asunder') is graphic—literal bisection. This was a form of execution in ancient Near East (1 Samuel 15:33; Hebrews 11:37). Whether literal or hyperbolic, it conveys utter destruction. This concludes the parable of the faithful and evil servants (24:45-51)—the evil servant who b...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(51) **And shall cut him asunder.**—Here also, as in the case of the faithful servant, the words have more than one fulfilment. The form of punishment (one which, in its literal sense, belongs to the inventive cruelty of Eastern kings) would seem here to have been chosen for its figurative fitness. The man had been a hypocrite, double-minded, trying to serve two masters, and his Lord, with the sha...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 42-51** To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in. We know we have but a little time to live, we cannot know that we have a long time to live; much less do we know the time fixed for the judgment. Our Lord's coming will be happy to those that shall be found ready, but very dreadful to those that are not. ...
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